BoysBasketball

Coach: Brett Senff, second year.

Last year: 6-7 conferenece, 11-13 overall, district qualifier.

Key returners: Mackenzie Larkin, sr., 6-5, wing/post; Ryan Hayes, sr., 6-2, post; Alec Mavar, sr., 5-10, guard; Luke Averill, sr., 6-4, post; Chris Stoneham, jr., 5-11, guard/wing.

Key newcomers: Corey Geffe, jr., 6-1, wing; Jackson Kirkpatrick, so., 5-9, guard; Emo Sortun, jr., 6-3, wing; Matt Welliver, fr., 5-7, guard; Shane Hardesey, so., 5-9, wing; Garrett Wilbur, so., 5-10, wing/post; Tyler Hayes, so., 5-7, guard; Mark Medalia, so., 6-2, post.

Outlook: The Seahawks have a healthy contingent of players back from the team that came within a win of reaching a second straight state tournament.

Leading the way are the team’s two leading scorers from a year ago, seniors Larkin and Averill. Larkin averaged 14.2 points per game and Averill chipped in 10.4. Both are a little taller and more experienced.

“Those two, they play basketball seriously,” Senff said. “They’re serious about what they do, and they love to compete.”

Hayes and Mavar showed improvement in the summer and should be solid support players. Stoneham showed a lot of speed and potential in the second half of the season last year.

The Seahawks will need some of the new youngsters to fill valuable roles. Sophomore Kirkpatrick could be the starting point guard, and junior Geffe should see a lot of floor time as well.

Anacortes added Jason Mergenthaler to the coaching staff to work with the defense, a move Senff said has paid dividends already.

“We had a really good summer,” Senff said. “We had a great camp over at Gonzaga. The kids are learning a new style of defense. We’re going to ball pressure, try to deny the wings, just get after people. We’ll try to create an uncomfort zone.”

The road to state became more difficult with a factor the Seahawks had no control over — student population. Squalicum has dropped below the 3A threshold, meaning the Storm, a Class 3A semifinalist with only one key departing senior, will now be in the Class 2A mix. Senff said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Storm start the year as the state’s top-ranked Class 2A team.

Throw in Burlington-Edison and programs that always seem to be tough — Lynden and Sehome — and it’s a crowded field for state berths, even without factoring in the Cascade Conference.

Still, Anacortes should be included in that mix.

“That’s our goal, especially after coming so close last year,” Senff said. “We’re looking to play hard as a team. This team is going to be fun, exciting, and get after it defensively.”

GirlsBasketball

Coach: Ken Welk, 18th year.

Last year: 24-4, fifth in state.

Key returners: Hayley Rieger, sr., 5-6, guard; Monica Archer, sr., 5-11, post; Kim Herrigstad, sr., 5-6, guard; Hannah Holtgeerts, sr., 6-2, post; Jorgina Moore, sr., 5-8, wing; Kayla Rieger, so., 5-6, guard/wing.

Key newcomers: Madison Bundy, so., 5-5, wing; Jackie Saunders, so., 5-4, guard; Alex Weygandt, jr., 5-8, wing; Connie Grimnes, sr., 5-8, wing/post.

Outlook: The graduation of several players off last year’s state tournament team leaves a group that will be tested this year in Northwest Conference play.

“We’re a group that’s unproven,” Welk said. “We have some girls with playoff experience and Hannah (Holtgeerts), who has had to play a major role; Hayley Rieger has played some solid minutes. Other seniors have been role players. To step into major varsity minutes, they’re a group that will have to prove themselves.”

Welk said the Seahawks will still play the running, pressuring style that opponents and fans have come to expect, but there will also be adjusting to this group’s talents.

“They have a lot of good ability and do a lot of things well, but they’ll have to create their own identity,” he said. “We’ve got a few wrinkles with this group to fit their abilities and their style. We could look a little different in some of the things we do.”

Welk said the Northwest Conference will be competitive after the graduation of several of the conference’s top players.

“A lot of programs lost key seniors — we have, Sehome has, Lynden Christian has,” he said. “Every program has had someone ... Lynden is probably exception, but teams are figuring out life after those graduates.”

Wrestling

Coach: Bob Woods, Sixth year.

Key returners: Lucas Papadakis so., 119; Colby Wright so.,125; Daniel Crawford so., 125; Sean Sanders so., 125; Daniel Brown sr., 130; Dillon Bundy sr., 130; James No sr., 135; Jordan Ferrier so., 140; Kyle Jones jr., 145; Andrew Bolton so., 152; Michael Doane so., 160; Si Sharma jr., 171; Isaac Doane jr., 189.

Top newcomers: Craig Jones fr., 112; Steven Kube jr., 140; Ryan Mangum jr., 145.

Outlook: The Seahawks won’t be quite as young as they were last year, and will benefit from all the experience gained during a tough 2007-08 campaign.

Anacortes is blessed with a very deep roster — from 125 pounds to 135. With six wrestlers in those slots, competition should be tough. Brown, a state participant two years ago, will likely take one of those spots once he gains eligibility. No is one of the team’s most improved wrestlers.

“James is the hardest worker on the team,” Woods said. “He worked hard over the summer, and I think he’s going to have a really good season.”

Woods said the Doane brothers have also worked hard and improved, and that junior Isaac Doane could make some noise in the upper weights.

The Seahawks will be thin at the edges — the team has no 103-pounder or heavyweight — and will have very little competition for the other jobs. Among the newcomers, Kube, a transfer, has shown promise.

Woods doesn’t see his team competing with the elites of the Northwest Conference — teams such as Sedro-Woolley and Burlington-Edison — but thinks this squad should improve upon last year’s foundation.

“We’re going to be better than last year,” Woods said. “I don’t think we’re ready to wrestle with that next level, but I do think when you drop down to that middle of the pack, that’s right where we’ll be. The last couple years, we’ve been in the bottom third, and I’m anticipating we can move into that middle group.

“I don’t have any superstars, but the kids I mentioned, and when Daniel gets eligible, I think they will all be in the finals of tournaments and make a strong run at going to the state tournament. While we don’t have depth, if a couple kids hit the right weights, we’ll be a much better dual team. If we stay healthy, we’ll be a pretty good dual meet team and respectable at tournaments.””

Boys Swimming

Coach: Leslie Mix, eighth year

Key returners: Mac Kelly, sr., multiple events; Ryan Culp, sr., freestyle; Gunner Gillman, so., diver; Bryan Yates, sr., diver; Peter McDonald, so., breaststroke/freestyle; Ryan Thompson, so., multiple events; Nick Prime, so., sprints/freestyle; Logan Morrison, so., multiple events; Jason Hogge, so., breaststroke; Scott Ericksson-Everton, jr., freestyle/backstroke.

Key newcomers: Alan Lytton, fr., backstroke/breaststroke; Alex Miller, fr., multiple events; Casey Hsu, jr., multiple events; Dillon Whitney, sr., diver; Gabe Aguilar, sr., multiple events; James Kim, so., breaststroke/freestyle; Michael Hanson, fr., multiple events; Michal Bamonte, fr., multiple events; Nick Atkinson, so., multiple events; Nick Miles, so., freestyle/breaststroke; Preston McOmber, so., multiple events; Sam Nilsson, fr., breaststroke; Scott Calvert, jr., multiple events; Sean Higgins, so., diver; Sean Stockfish, fr., multiple events; Taylor Beck, fr., backstroke/breaststroke; Tyler Thompson, fr., diver; Willie Haenel, jr., multiple events; Zack Baldwin, so., diver.

Outlook: Morrison, the only year-round swimmer for the Seahawks, figures to be among their most talented.

Morrison doesn’t really have a specialty.

“He can do anything,” said Mix. “He’s a very versatile swimmer.”

He is also learning how to be a team leader.

“He’s still got some things to learn about being a team leader,” said Mix. “But he’s definitely on the right track.”

The Seahawks’ captain this season is senior diver Yates.

He was picked by his teammates for the hard work he puts in, said Mix.

The Seahawks don’t know what to expect about the postseason. The state still hasn’t determined whether it will split the Class 3A/2A meet into separate meets as it has done for the girls.

Mix would like to see a separate meet for the 2A teams.

“I think that what’s best,” she said. “If they did it for the girls, they need to do it for the boys.”